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CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: AJ McCarron #10 of the Buffalo Bills breaks away from Ro'Derrick Hoskins #63 of the Chicago Bears to score a touchdown during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron (10) celebrates a game winning throw against the Chicago Bears during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. The Bills defeated the Bears 28-27. (AP Photo/David Banks) David Banks, AP

Buffalo Bills running back Travaris Cadet (39) runs against the Chicago Bears during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/David Banks) David Banks, AP

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott questions head linesman Derick Bowers (74) during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. The Bills defeated the Bears 28-27. (AP Photo/David Banks) David Banks, AP

Chicago Bears running back Ryan Nall (35) runs in for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills defensive back Siran Neal (29) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Nam Y. Huh, AP

Chicago Bears running back Ryan Nall (35) runs in for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills defensive back Siran Neal (29) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Nam Y. Huh, AP

Chicago Bears running back Ryan Nall (35) runs in for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills defensive back Siran Neal (29) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Nam Y. Huh, AP

Chicago Bears running back Taquan Mizzell (33) tries to get around Buffalo Bills defensive end Albert Havili (97) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/David Banks) David Banks, AP

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: Taquan Mizzell #33 of the Chicago Bears gets away from Xavier Woodson-Luster #53 of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills watches as his team takes on the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: AJ McCarron #10 of the Buffalo Bills looks for a receiver against the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: Taquan Mizzell #33 of the Chicago Bears is dropped by Terrence Fede #96 and Ryan Russell #59 of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 30: Taquan Mizzell #33 of the Chicago Bears gets away from Xavier Woodson-Luster #53 of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron (10) throws against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/David Banks) David Banks, AP

Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron (10) celebrates a game winning throw against the Chicago Bears during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. The Bills defeated the Bears 28-27. (AP Photo/David Banks)(Photo11: David Banks, AP)

Thankfully, mercifully, another summer of egregious preseason football is behind us.

At least it ended with some fun drama as the Bills somehow rallied from a 27-3 third-quarter deficit to beat the Bears 28-27 on a 6-yard A.J. McCarron to Keith Towbridge touchdown pass with 13 seconds left to play.

Unbelievable, really, when you consider how terribly they played for most of the first three quarters, particularly McCarron.

Good for them, though I put very little stock into what happens in the preseason games, be it one-sided losses or miraculous comebacks. Despite the rally and victory, which produced a 2-2 exhibition record, let's put things into perspective. It came in the second half of the fourth preseason game and I still think it's a stretch to think that Sean McDermott’s second team is at the same level as his first, which somehow found its way to the playoffs last year.

Three things I liked

1. Backup safeties. I have liked how Dean Marlowe has played throughout training camp and the preseason and his spot on the roster should be solidified as a backup to Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. He did have a bad missed tackle on Ryan Nall’s 32-yard TD run that made it 20-0, but he also made five tackles in the first half before taking a seat. He missed the last two seasons with injuries, but has bounced back nicely. Rafael Bush has been solid all summer as well, so this might be the deepest position on the roster.

2. The Bills kept playing hard. The game was out of hand at 27-3, but the Bills showed some fortitude and did not mail it in over the final quarter and a half. Of course, it helped that the Bears could not have played any worse, or any dumber, on the final couple Buffalo possessions. If that had been a regular-season game, wow. Credit to McCarron who could not have started the game any worse before lighting up a bunch of Bears defenders who will be looking for work come Saturday afternoon. "I love the way the guys fought, and battled, and you don't always find that in the fourth preseason game," said McDermott. "It says a lot about the guys in that locker room."

3. Logan Thomas. He was involved early with two catches for 17 yards, and then he made a nice 22-yard catch in the fourth quarter. I’ve been intrigued by Thomas’ potential since last summer, and as he continues to learn to play tight end, he just looks like a playmaker in waiting. The Bills actually have some depth at tight end for once behind Charles Clay.

Three things I didn't like

1. McCarron. Up until the middle of August I fully expected that McCarron was going to be the Bills’ starter on opening day. And then we began to find out why McCarron could never beat out NFL career mediocrity Andy Dalton for four years in Cincinnati. The pick-six he threw in the first quarter was amateur hour, not something you’d expect from a guy in his fifth NFL season. Yes, his rebound in the second half was uplifting, but again, I remind you who it came against. He finished 13 of 34 for 156 yards and a QB rating of 58.0, and that was with a heroic fourth quarter. Hey, this might be the last time he plays for quite a while, so he'll always have that one for his memory bank.

2. Tackling. The Bills’ defense has been lousy the last couple of weeks, and McDermott is steaming hot because he will not tolerate it. It was far too easy for teams to move the ball against Buffalo, and part of the season was shoddy tackling at all three levels. The Bears ran through and around the Bills all night, totaling 150 yards, 4.7 per carry.

3. Backup linebackers. This is a painfully bad group. Tremaine Edmunds is going to be very good, Lorenzo Alexander is a grizzled vet, and the jury is still out on Matt Milano because his lack of size worries me. That’s a decent starting three, but if any of them get hurt, the drop-off is huge. Tanner Vallejo? Deon Lacey? Ramon Humber? Xavier Woodson-Luster? Corey Thompson? Julian Stanford? Good Lord.

► SS Siran Neal. The rookie fifth-round pick hadn’t done much to catch my eye until Thursday night when he made seven tackles in the first half, and finished with a game-high 10. He has the versatility to play a few positions in the defensive backfield, and he’s most intriguing as an in-the-box safety on run downs. However, the Bills have good depth at safety, so I'm not sure what his role will be.

► RB Marcus Murphy. He was held out of the game, which means he has made the team, and he deserved it. He was by far the Bills’ best back in the preseason games. As for the fourth running back position, Travaris Cadet broke a 44-yard run, but I’m not sure it was enough because Taiwan Jones offers more on special teams.

► Breon Borders. The Bills have very little depth at cornerback. As a matter of fact, I’m not so sure Vontae Davis is all that good anymore as a starter. Borders may have won a roster spot with his interception because really, who else has done anything at that position?

► McCarron. His QB rating was a Blutarsky-like 0.0 late in the third quarter before his out-of-nowhere resurrection. The very fact that he played the entire game was an indication of what the Bills’ hierarchy thinks of him. He’s either the third-stringer, or he’s going to get cut. If I’m making the call, I’m not cutting him. The Bills need to carry three quarterbacks on the roster because playing behind this offensive line, I find it hard to believe Nathan Peterman and/or Josh Allen will get through the season uninjured.

► OT Marshall Newhouse. He has 70 career NFL starts, and given the way he has played the last two weeks, it’s unlikely he’ll be making many more. Then again, given the lack of offensive line talent around the NFL, maybe there’s hope for him. The Bills are so thin up front that Newhouse may make the team by default, but he certainly has not looked good.

► DE Mike Love. There were times in this game where he was tackling about as well as Mike Love of the Beach Boys would have tackled, and Beach Boy Mike is about 80 years old. Hard to imagine the Bills’ Love is making the roster.

The Bills will cut their roster down to the NFL-mandated 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday, but the last few guys who make the team should not feel safe. This is a team deeply devoid of depth, so you can expect general manager Brandon Beane will be scouring the waiver wire with about 1,200 players getting released to find better options.

While all that is going on, the Bills will also begin to assemble up to a 10-man practice squad, but even that could be tweaked in the days leading up to the season opener Sept. 9 in Baltimore. They may want to install a toll booth at One Bills Drive for all the comings and goings.